Blog - Anna LeBaron

05/05/18

Anna’s Famous Refried Beans (a guest post)

As a child, I ate more than my fair share of beans. My siblings and I often ate nothing more than a sandwich consisting of white bread, mashed beans, and—if we were lucky—a smear of mayonnaise while working long hours in the appliance warehouse run by our family members. You can read the WHOLE story in my memoir, The Polygamist’s Daughter…. Read More

03/09/18

“That’ll do, Anna.”

After two years of skipping the Crossfit Open because I wasn’t even close to being in the right shape to participate, I decided to try it this year. The Open is a worldwide competition that takes place once a year and consists of a series of five weekly workouts. Each workout is assigned by the Crossfit organization and posted on… Read More

05/09/16

Review: Nor Forsake

Nor Forsake by Julie Presley My rating: 5 of 5 stars Before I was introduced to Julie Presley’s writing, it had been years, decades even, since I read any Christian Fiction because of how unrealistic it all felt to me. With her first book, Stones of Remembrance (which I read semi-reluctantly…should I be saying that in a review?) Julie made… Read More

01/05/16

#the4500launches The Sound of Gravel

The story you are about to read is true. I couldn’t make this up if I tried. On October 15, 2015 I heard a voice that said, “Start your book launch team, call it #the4500launches and promote other first-time authors while waiting for your turn.” It was that clear and direct. So I created a Facebook group for my launch… Read More

08/20/15

For The Love…of Jen & #the4500

This post is part of Jen Hatmaker’s “For the Love” Blog Tour which I am delighted to be a part of along with many other inspiring bloggers. To learn more and join us, CLICK HERE. Book trailer Book website I have grown to love Jen Hatmaker, the self-titled “hashtag abusing Jesus girl,” more than I believed possible having never met… Read More

6 days ago

Love this baby girl. 💞

River keeps me smiling and feeling real joy in all the craziness.

Let’s see how you are spending this long
4th of July weekend... 📸🎇 ... See MoreSee Less

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Anna LeBaron is at Earthman Resthaven Funeral Home.

4 weeks ago

I came to Houston to mourn the passing of my friend’s mother.

On my way out of town I stopped at the cemetery where both my father and brother are buried.

My father’s headstone reads “BELOVED FATHER” and I have the same visceral reaction to those words. “Beloved by who?” is what crosses my mind. He did nothing but cause harm to his children.

If you’ve read the last chapter of my book you know that my high school friend, Alex, is buried here as well. This is where Alex’s mom, Estella, made such an impact on my life when we came here all those years ago.

Then, in 2017, Alex’s father, Alexander Campbell, passed away, and he was buried here as well. We lovingly called him Mr. C. He treated me like his daughter and my life was blessed because of him.

Two earthly fathers. Two sons.

One father devastated the lives of his children.

One father sacrificed his life and blessed his children.

It was a few words spoken by Mr. C in his exuberant, Jamaican accent that were the catalyst to my discovery of how to experience and receive the love of my Heavenly Father, which changed everything.

Estella got the final word in my first book as I wrestled with my buried emotions about my earthly father.

In that same way, Mr. C will be given the last word in my second book. (At least that is how the first, very rough, draft is currently being written.)

One beloved daughter. One Beloved Father.

I am His and He is mine. Forever. ♥️ ... See MoreSee Less

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1 month ago

I have been silent before for the wrong reasons.

If I am silent now it’s for better reasons.

Because I am listening to people of color.

Because I am reading books written by people of color.

Because I am learning from people of color.

I am only beginning to see the world from a different perspective.

The perspective of people of color.

Once my eyes were opened —and I looked— I saw things I cannot unsee.

Poet Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

I will do better.

I hope my white friends who don’t understand this will use this time — and the days to come —

to listen more,
to learn more,
to see differently,
to know better, and then
to do better.

I started with this book:

A Language of Healing for a Polarized Nation: Creating safe environments for conversations about race, politics, sexuality, and religion

This book is currently $4.16 on Amazon.

The Kindle edition is $3.95.

Let me know if you decide to buy it and read it.

Feel free to post links to other resources that have helped you see differently and do better. ... See MoreSee Less

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2 months ago

The members of Jen Hatmaker's launch team pass along the book to one another for fun! ... See MoreSee Less

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2 months ago

I’m on page 154 of The Book Thief as part of the Jen Hatmaker Book Club.

I have to stop reading every few chapters and bring my mind back to the present.

Not just from getting sucked into this story so thoroughly, but from my own childhood as well, where my mind keeps wandering. 💔

So much of it resonates deeply with my family of origin experiences.

Have you read this book? (Please no spoilers!)

***UPDATE:
It took me about 24 hours to read the book start to finish. This was a harrowing experience for me.
It was so, so spellbinding. I couldn’t stop reading!
I have lots of feelings and words, but I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read it yet. ... See MoreSee Less

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